Title : Composition and Function of Phospholipids in Plasmodium Knowlesi.

Descriptive Note : Annual technical rept. 1 Oct 74-31 Oct 75,

Corporate Author : MARYLAND UNIV COLLEGE PARK DEPT OF CHEMISTRY

Personal Author(s) : Purdy,William C.

Report Date : NOV 1975

Pagination or Media Count : 48

Abstract : The lipid extracts of normal and Plasmodium knowlesi-infected rhesus erythrocytes and of the parasite itself have been examined for phospholipid composition on an animal-to-animal basis. Phosphatidylinositol (PI), phosphatidylcholine (PC), and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) represented larger percentages in the parasite than in the host. Sphingomyelin (SM) and phosphatidylserine (PS) averaged less than 20% and 33% respectively in the parasite than in the infected erythrocyte. The phospholipid distribution and the ratio of cholesterol-to-cholesterol ester were determined for plasma isolated from normal, fasted, and Plasmodium knowlesi-infected monkeys. Compared to normal plasmas, the infected plasmas showed patterns with slight increases in PC and large decreases in lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC). The cholesterol-to-cholesterol ester ratio was always less than one in normal and greater than one in infected plasmas. Fasting produced no significant differences on normal samples. A successful high-pressure liquid chromatography separation of LPC, PE, PI, PS, SM, and phosphatidic acid has been achieved with synthetic samples.